Paint brush guide



1967 H. c. COMPTON, JR 3,337,894

PAINT BRUSH GUIDE Filed Nov. 4, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 HOMER.C.COMPTON.JR

INVENTOR ATTQRNEY 1967 H. c. COMPTON, JR 3,337,894

PAINT BRUSH GUIDE (5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 4, 1964 HOMER.C.COI\/IPTON.JR.

INVENTOR.

AT TOR N EY 7 H. c. COMPTON, JR 3,337,894

PAINT BRUSH GUIDE Filed Nov. 4, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 HOMER .C.COMPTONJR INVENTOR.

,W 6 Q ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,337,894 PAINT BRUSH GUIDE HomerC. Compton, Jr., 1002 Darlene Lane, Arlington, Tex. 76010 Filed Nov. 4,1964, Ser. No. 408,811 1 Claim. (Cl. 15-166) The invention avoids theneed for applying masking strips to surfaces, such as moldings, whichare not intended to be painted, which is not always satisfactory for thereason that paint may inadvertently get under the masking strips.

The invention contemplates, in combination with a paint brush asdescribed, the combination of an elongated, substantially planar guidemember having one of its ends connected by a hinge to one of saidrelatively wider sides of the brush near the inner ends of its bristlesand movable about its hinge from a retracted position, in which it isdisengaged from the outer ends of the bristles, to an extended positionin which the end thereof opposite said one of its ends presses againstthe corresponding sides of the bristles near their outer ends, the endof the guide member opposite said one of its ends being straight edged,and said last mentioned end portion having an integral lug on the sidethereof opposite the bristles, in the extended position of the guidemember, for sliding engagement with an adjacent surface, such as amolding, which is not intended to be painted.

The integral lug above described serves as a combined guide, spacer, andbearing for pivotal adjustment of the brush about a transverse axis,parallel to said surface, whereby the outer ends of the bristles arealigned with said surface and are spaced apart therefrom a variable,predetermined distance.

The invention will be readily understood by referring to the followingdescription and the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal view of a paint brush having a guide embodyingthe invention applied thereto, showing one of the narrower sides of thebrush and showing the guide in its extended position, illustrating themanner in which the guide is used for painting in straight lines alongadjacent surfaces, such as moldings, which are not intended to bepainted;

FIG. 2 shows the paint brush and guide illustrated in FIG. 1 as seenfrom the opposite side thereof, showing the guide in its retractedposition;

FIG. 3 is a view taken at right angles to the view shown in FIG. 2,showing one of the wider sides of the brush to which the guide isattached;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal view, partly broken away to show details ofconstruction, of a paint brush guide embodying the invention in modifiedform, showing the guide in a detached position corresponding to theposition of the guide shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the trated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal view thereof taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 4;and

FIG. 7 is a transverse view FIG. 4.

Referring to the invention as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the brokenlines 1 and 2, shown in FIG. 1, represent two planar surfaces which areto be painted, and which are arranged perpendicular to each other, andthe numeral 3 indicates the cross sectional outline of a mold ing, alsoshown in broken lines, which is positioned in the corner between the twoplanar surfaces 1 and 2.

The numeral 4 designates generally a paint brush as hereinafterdescribed, and the numeral 5 indicates genpaint brush guide illustakenon the line 7-7 of 3,337,894 Patented Aug. 29, 1967 erally a guide forthe paint brush 4, described.

The paint brush 4 is substantially planar and has an elongated handle 6,and has bristles 7 extending beyond one end of the handle 6,substantially parallel thereto, and arranged in a substantiallyrectangular cross sectional pattern having two opposite sidescharacterized by their relatively greater widths and two other sideswhich are relatively narrower than said first mentioned sides. A metalband 8 is secured about the bristles 7 at their juncture with the handle6.

An elongated, substantially planar guide member, indicated generally bythe numeral 9, which advantageously may be formed of sheet metal, hasone of its ends connected by a hinge 10 to one of said relatively widersides of the brush 4 near the inner ends of its bristles 7, and ismovable about its hinge 10 from a retracted position, as shown in FIGS.2 and 3, in which it is disengaged from the outer ends of the bristles7, to an extended position, shown in FIG. 1, in which the end thereofopposite said one of its ends presses against the corresponding sides ofthe bristles 7 near their outer ends.

The end of the guide member 9 opposite said one of its ends is straightedged, as at 11, and is bent at an obtuse angle in the direction of thebristles, as at 12, in the extended position of the guide member 9,whereby said straight edge 11 is presented to the adjacent sides of thebristles 7, and said angularly bent end portion 12 has an integral lug13 adjacent each of its side edges, on the side thereof opposite thebristles 7, in the extended position of the guide member 9, for slidingengagement with an adjacent surface, such as the molding 3, which is notintended to be painted.

The integral lugs 13 serve as combined guides, spacers, and bearings forpivotal adjustment of the brush 4 about a transverse axis, parallel tosaid surface, whereby the outer ends of the bristles 7 are aligned withsaid surface and are spaced apart therefrom a variable, predetermineddistance.

The guide member 9 is biased in its retracted position, as shown inFIGS. 2 and 3, by means of a spring, indicated generally by the numeral14, and has an adjustable stop, indicated generally by the numeral 15,which limits pivotal movement of the guide member 9 about its hinge 10in the direction of the bristles 7, in the extended position of theguide member 9.

A pair of angularly bent tabs 16, which are positioned adjacent the sideedges of the guide member 9 near its angularly bent end portion 12,embrace the bristles 7 in the extended position of the guide member 9,as shown in FIG. 1, to prevent the bristles 7 from spreading as thepainting proceeds.

Referring to the modified form of the invention as shown in FIGS. 4 to7, the guide member 9a, which corresponds to the guide member 9 shown inFIGS. 1 to 3, advantageously may be formed of molded plastic material.The guide member 9a has a single lug 13a, coextensive with its width,which corresponds to the lug 13, and is biased in either its retractedposition or its extended position, as the case may be, by a spring 14a,which corresponds to the spring 14.

The invention may be modified in various ways without departing from thespirit and scope thereof as set forth in the claim.

I claim:

In combination with a substantially planar paint brush having anelongated handle and having bristles extending beyond one end of thehandle, substantially parallel thereto, and arranged in a substantiallyrectangular cross sectional pattern having two opposite sidescharacterized by their relatively greater widths and two other sidesalso as hereinafter which are relatively narrower than said firstmentioned sides, the combination of an elongated, substantially planarguide member having one of its ends connected by a hinge to one of saidrelatively wider sides of the brush near the inner ends of its bristlesand movable aboutits hinge from a retracted position, in which it isdisengaged from the outer ends of the bristles, to an extended positionin which the end thereof opposite said one of its ends presses againstthe corresponding sides of the bristles near their outer ends, the endof the guide member opposite said one of its ends being straight edgedand being bent at an obtuse angle in the direction of the bristles, inthe extended position of the guide member, whereby said straight edge ispresented to the adjacent sides of the'bristles, and the end of theguide member opposite said one of its ends having an integral lug on theside thereof opposite the bristles, in the extended position of theguide member, for sliding engagement with an adjacent surface, such as amolding, which is not intended to be painted, for use as a combinedguide, spacer, and bearing for pivotal adjustment of the brush about atransverse axis, parallel to said surface, whereby the outer ends of thebristles, which are arranged in a straight line by abutting engagementwith said straight edge, are aligned with said surface and are spacedapart therefrom a variable, predetermined distance, a spring acting onthe brush and the guide member whereby the guide member is biased in itsretracted position, and an adjustable stop on the guide member forabutting engagement with the 1 brush, to thereby limit pivotal movementof the guide member about its hinge in the direction of the bristles, inthe extended position of the guide member.

References Cited CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. L. G. MACHLIN,Assistant Examiner.

